CHAGEE Modern Teahouse — Restaurant in Los Angeles

They had the Grand Opening event this weekend and so they were having a bunch of fun promos going on.

The first 200 customers of each day of the Grand Opening weekend were able to get tote bag. It's packaged extremely nicely, wrapped in tissue paper in a branded cardboard box. I'll save it for a gift because it's that presentable.

For the opening weekend, they were also handing out crossword puzzles to people in line as a way to pass the time. After completing it and showing one of the employees, they would hand out a prize. I got a BOYA jasmine-scented air freshener. This opening weekend was also insanely hot, with the weather hitting 36C on Saturday, and the staff were kind to hand out blackout umbrellas to customers in line as the sun rose over the mall. What was odd to me though was all of CHAGEE USA's branding and image through social media are non-Asian. For a company coming from China, and whose products' target audience is Asian, and for the vast majority of the people in line for the grand opening event, it's just weird branding.

Also for the opening weekend, the drinks were being served in a unique, oversized cup that has a tear-open compartment on the bottom to reveal a hidden prize. Prizes varied from $1 off or BOGO coupons, CHAGEE branded pins, magnets, or pop sockets, or vouchers to exchange for other prizes such as a really well-made and designed tumbler mug, or the grand prizes. For a store grand opening event, CHAGEE's is probably the most grand one I've gotten to experience. It felt very community and customer focused, so kudos to them and congratulations for opening the first USA location!

The interior of the store is pretty quaint, with wood brown accents throughout the store, similar to a Starbucks Roastery. On one side of the store, they have some CHAGEE branded items as well as a brief history of tea making. On the other side, they have a beautiful mural for the first Los Angeles area. For the opening weekend at least, the drink-making bar was in full hustle mode, the drink pickup section was well-organized albeit busy, and there was a cup bagging station outside of the store by the entrance which was inconvenient if you had more than 2 drinks. There were a lot of employees running the establishment, but the sheer foot traffic of the opening weekend was a lot for them I think.

Now onto the drinks themselves. I tried all 4 available drinks for this opening event. They have 2 flavors of teas, in 2 different forms: Pure Tea series (ordered with 0% sugar) and milk tea (latte) series (ordered with regular sugar). The teas at this time were jasmine (BOYA for the milk tea), and peach oolong.

To me, the peach oolong is a bit of an odd flavor combination, so maybe I just don't like peach with oolong tea as I couldn't taste the oolong tea so much as the peach flavor. The jasmine series on the other hand were awesome! If you like strong jasmine tea, CHAGEE's will satisfy the craving.

The milk tea forms of the drinks translated the flavors from the Pure Tea series very well, with real milk being used. The milk teas taste very creamy and are perfectly balanced in sweetness with no adjustments. Usually I have to ask for 50% sweetness at milk tea shops, or no sugar at all to get any sort of tea flavor through.

I also got the peach oolong cruffin and I wouldn't get it again. It was mostly spongy sugar bread, not a flaky buttery croissant, and there wasn't a lot of the creme filling. What little filling that was in there was kind of bland with a hint of the peach flavor (not unlike the peach oolong teas).

Overall, a great experience. The location is pretty far for me and parking is on the expensive side for this mall. For what it's worth, I'd come back again but only if I had other things to do in the area. The BOYA milk tea is definitely the drink of choice...

It’s finally here, one of the most famous tea chains from Asia has arrived in the States with its first flagship location! Started by an orphan in Yunnan China, Chagee has thousands of locations all across the world and if you’ve had the pleasure of trying it, you’d know you need to run not just walk to get a cup, or two, or five!

The Christian Dior of Teas, Chagee elevates and modernizes the tea experience by using high quality ingredients combined with novel extraction techniques to enhance the natural flavors. You won’t get endless options and ton of additives. Their approach is tea forward and simplified in order to let the carefully curated tea ingredients shine!

The flavors are unique and bold. Chagee’s signature BOYA tea features a special blend of premium tea leaves extracted to perfection. The flavors are a careful balance of floral and earthy tones while remaining grounded and simple. The texture is smooth and even silky. The aroma is intoxicating and addicting. Combined together, this delivers a cup that is as close to perfection as it can get.

The atmosphere of the “modern tea house” as they like to label it is immaculate. It’s modern yet simple and elegant. It exudes fashion and confidence while not foregoing utility for looks alone. While aesthetically pleasing, the seating is actually quite comfortable, the lights are the perfect color temperature and intensity, and the decor is peaceful and soothing with their merchandise on display serving as a splash of color with their recognizable pattern. Examining the walls will also provide you with simple illustration and explanation of the various methods of tea preparation over the decades and how the techniques have evolved.

Chagee has their own signature equipment and methodology to use pressurized water to extract the tea flavors while preserving the tea’s natural essence and boldness while insuring consistency and output.

The staff moves in a choreographed manner where every movement is precise and calculated, embodying the art of making tea while insuring consistency and quality in the preparation. They are also just extremely friendly and seem happy to work here, going out of their way to help you make sure you get the right order for you and your personal preferences. There are other Chinese tea chains that have more of the assembly line approach down to a science with an endless army of employees, making them even quicker and more efficient but can’t complain too much.

While yes, the lines are still crazy long and depending on when you come you may wait upwards of two hours or not at all, Chagee is a magical experience that is a special treat for everyone. Given the popularity, you may even run into an influencer or two; hi Andy and Michelle! I look forward to the day their stores are everywhere and you don’t have to wait for a magic in a cup.

The name in Chinese loosely translates to Tea Empress as the logo implies, but even more so, it’s a play on words and references the famous Farewell My Concubine Opera.

Overall, if you love tea forward flavors and appreciate the artistry that goes into modern and high end tea preparation, you’ll absolutely love what Chagee...

The moment you walk into Chagee, you get it – this place is different. First off, the aroma of real, fresh tea just hits you, a welcome change from the usual shop. I stumbled in during their soft opening week, and my ears perked up when I saw their setup. I'm always on the hunt for a place that takes its tea seriously, and these guys looked like they meant business with their teapresso gear and clear focus on unique blends.

And boy, did they deliver. I was genuinely curious if all that fancy equipment, the nice surroundings, and talk about "flavor profiles" would actually translate into the cup. Happy to report: it absolutely does. It's not just a pretty face; there's some real craft happening here. They're not just dunking bags; they're pulling out the heart of the tea in a place that clearly respects the whole ritual.

First up, I had the Boya Tea Latte. Seriously, this might be the most fragrant, floral jasmine tea I’ve ever had in my life. The aroma alone was worth it. Then I switched gears to the Roasted Black Tea Latte, and that was a whole other experience – roasty, a bit musky, with that perfect dance of bitter and sweet. What really impressed me with both was how the tea itself was the star, perfectly balanced with the milk and sweetness, not buried under it. You could taste the quality and the intention.

No doubt about it, I'm coming back. There’s a whole menu I need to explore, and frankly, just soaking in that calm, tea-scented, elegant vibe is a win. And hey, bonus points for having an app that actually works for coupons and dishing out discounts – always appreciate a place that makes it easy to keep coming back. Chagee is the real deal if you care about tea and enjoy a bit of class with your cup. Five stars, and I don’t give those out lightly. Get...